By Katie-Rose Watson
Looking for Independence Day party inspiration? I’ve got you covered. The 4th of July is a big deal in my family. My grandpa’s birthday was the 4th of July and I spent many years at his cabin at Lake Tahoe celebrating with great fanfare. Now I spend every other year either eating Blueberry Hill Surprise at the lake house or by the pool. Here are some of my favorite recipes and party ideas for your Independence Day festivities. Find more details and videos on www.therosetable.com/2023/06/25/patriotic-pool-party.
The Table
I set up a 6″ portable table by the pool and styled it with a fabulous (and inexpensive) firework tablecloth I found on Amazon. I decorated the table with white nautical lanterns, American flags, custom made signs, one huge red, white, and blue floral arrangement, and tons of festive food.
The Flowers
I styled blue hydrangeas, white roses, and red carnations to make the loveliest red white and blue bouquet.
The Signs
My talented friend Anamieke, owner of Enchanted Farmhouse, made this custom “Party like it’s 1776” sign for me and it was the star of my table. It’s now available in her Etsy store. (If you’re a big Rose Table fan, you’ll recognize lots of my Disney Dinners decor on her shop page.) She also made three adorable firework blocks, which I’ve been loving in my living room all summer.
The Drink
My Star Spangled Punch is sure to delight the whole family. An easy mix of cranberry juice and lemonade, this refreshing punch can easily be spiked with gin or vodka or left plain for the whole family to enjoy it. Serve with adorable watermelon stars and blueberries.
Star Spangled Punch
2 bottles lemonade
2 bottles cranberry juice
3 slices watermelon, cut into stars
Blueberries
Optional: ginger ale, vodka, or gin
Use a star cookie cutter to cut out watermelon stars.
Combine lemonade and cranberry juice in a punch bowl or drink dispenser. If you’d like, add vodka or gin to spike and/or ginger ale for a sparkling punch.
Add watermelon stars and blueberries and serve.
The Food
Looking for an easy 4th of July Menu? You found it. This felt so easy to me because this is pretty much what my family eats every year on the fourth. Make the potato salad and pie ahead of time then all you have left is the five-minute fruit wands and sliders.
Patriotic Pool Party Menu
All-American Sliders
Chips, Assorted Fruit
Buzz’s Potato Salad
Firework Fruit Wands
Blueberry Hill Surprise
The Sliders
Sliders
I’m such a purist when it comes to burgers. All I want is super high quality beef, sea salt, King’s Hawaiian Rolls, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and cheese. My secret? Despite being a grill-aholic, I prefer to do sliders in the house. Makes 8
1 lbs organic 80/20 ground beef
Sea salt
8 King’s Hawaiian Rolls
8 pieces of butterhead lettuce
8 tomato slices
Pickle slices
Ketchup
Mustard
Divide ground beef into eight equal parts and form fairly thin patties. (They will puff up as they cook.) Grind sea salt on one side.
Grill patties or cook on the stove in a nonstick skillet (no butter necessary – 80/20 has enough fat to coat the pan) with the lid on for four minutes per side.
Serve on King’s Hawaiian rolls with lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, and mustard for an All American slider.
Buzz’s Potato Salad
Finally my mom’s potato salad makes its Rose Table debut. She perfected this over the years and I think it’s quite different from most potato salads. The yogurt-dill dressing is so light and refreshing. She uses bacon, green onions, hard-boiled eggs, and pickles for the perfect potato salad.
2.25 pounds baby Dutch potatoes (approximately 48 small potatoes)
Yogurt-dill dressing, recipe follows
6 hard boiled eggs, diced
6 stripes bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 celery bunch, sliced
1/4 cup pickles, chopped
1 green onion bunch, chopped
Cover potatoes in cold water. Bring to a boil, cover, and boil for about 25 minutes or until fork tender.
Remove from water with a slotted spoon. Cut larger potatoes in half or quarters. Gently toss with yogurt-dill dressing. It’ll be soupy but don’t panic. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Give the potato salad a stir and notice how much less soupy it is. Toss potatoes with diced hard boiled eggs, crispy bacon, celery, pickles, and green onion. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Yogurt-Dill Dressing
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Salt, pepper to taste
Whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise, fresh dill, salt, and pepper.
Firework Fruit Wands
These are too adorable. Cut watermelons into stars using cookie cutters, then thread onto bamboo skewers with blueberries for the cutest 4th of July side dish. To be extra festive, arrange in a firework display.
1 whole watermelon
1 pint blueberries
Cut watermelon into slices, about three-fourths of an inch thick. Use star cookie cutters to cut out large and medium stars.
Thread blueberries on bamboo skewers, leaving three or four inches bare on the bottom to comfortably hold the wands. Add a watermelon star at the top of the wand. Arrange in a firework display.
Blueberry Hill Surprise
Last but certainly not least, I served my famous Blueberry Hill Surprise, which is so good it’s on the cover of The Rose Table Cookbook.
What’s the “surprise” you ask? I use a German kuchen pastry instead of pie crust for this recipe so it might look like pie but it tastes more like a giant sugar cookie. It’s one of my signature desserts.
For the pastry:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
½ tsp salt
For the filling:
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
½ tsp cinnamon
5 cups blueberries, rinsed and dried
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch pie plate.
Make the pastry: Beat butter with vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in flour, sugar, and salt. Using clean hands, gently spread half of the dough on the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie plate.
In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Sprinkle about 2 Tbsp of the mixture over the crust. Pour half the berries onto the crust, sprinkle them with about 4 Tbsp of the cinnamon sugar mixture, then top with the remaining berries and sugar mixture.
Using the palms of your hands, flatten the pastry dough and set pieces over the pie. Repeat with remaining dough until the pie is covered. (It’s okay if some blueberries peak out!) Lightly brush pastry with milk.
Make roughly 8 slits in the crust to ensure even baking. Bake until crust is golden and berries are bubbling, about 45-50 minutes.
Remove pie from the oven. Immediately spread a tablespoon of butter on the crust. Let cool completely before serving. Delicious with homemade vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Beat heavy cream with a metal whisk in a chilled metal bowl until cream starts to thicken.
Add remaining ingredients and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Do not over mix. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.
More
Here are some other ideas to add to a fun Independence Day.
Red, White, and Blue Cake
www.therosetable.com/2023/05/25/red-white-and-blue-cake/
Patriotic Cheese and Charcuterie Board
www.therosetable.com/2024/06/28/patriotic-cheese-and-charcuterie-board/
Mixed Berry French Toast
www.therosetable.com/2024/06/27/mixed-berry-french-toast/
Katie Rose-Watson is the author of the beautifully illustrated cookbook The Rose Table and the cooking and entertaining blog, www.therosetable.com. Her imaginative dinners are featured on several national news media outlets.
